Indicator for liquid-fuel tanks.



i ly cured on the roc- Unire s'rarns ra'rnnr crimen.

SARAH H. PEOKHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO BANKS GASOLENE METER CO., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

INDIi'jisflll FOR LIQUID-FUEL TANKS.

Specification 'of Letters Patent.

Application led November 5, 1907.

Patented May 25, 1909.

Serial No. 400,847.

To all whom it may concern: i

le it known that l, SARAH H. PECKHAM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of i the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, I 1n the county of New York and State of New f, York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Liquid-Fuel i- ;lanks, of which the following is a speci'licaion. This invention relates to improvements in l indicators for liquid fuel tanks such as are used for example on automobiles, on launches or the like.

The object of my invention is to rovide a new and im roved indicator of t iis kind, which is positive and reliable in action and i prevents the indicator from being operated by the jolts or other sudden up and down E movements of the vehicle or vessel'containl ing the tank.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the gures: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a liquid fuel tank containing my improved indicator. Fig. 2 1, is a plan view of part ofthe same, parts being in section. F ig. 3 is a detail view.

In the fuel tank 1 which may be of any de sired construction a rock shaft 2 is mounted horizontellv, at about half the height of the tor 3, engaging a pinion 4 on the lower end of i a vertical rock shaft 5, projecting from the top of the tank and operating an indicator 6 of any suitable construction with or without a registering device, for example, such as shown in my ending application, Ser. No. 384,259, filed g 17, 1907. An arm 7 seshaft 2 is pivotally connected with a fiat float 8 provided wit a recess 9. A ratchet bar 10 curved on the axis of the rock shaft 2 as a center is rigidly secured vertically within the tank. A p awl 11 ivoted to the bar 7 at 12 is provided at its ower end with a weight 13 for keeping the g opposite end of the pawl in engagement with the ratchet bar 10. A bar 1.4 curved on the I same radius as the bar 10 is provided at its lower end with a horizontal arm 15 which is pivoted at 16 to the bottom of the tank so that this bar 14 can be swung toward and 3 from the back 4of the ratchet bar 10 and the l weight 13 on the lower end of the pawl 11 i projects across the inner edge of the pivoted l ratchet bar 10. tank, which rock shaft carriesa toothed seccurved bar 14 as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The bar 14 is provided at its upper end with an arm 17 terminating in a socket 18 which is beneath the screw neck 19 of the filling opening of the tank, which screw neck can be closed by a screw plug 2O and this screw plug is provided on its underside with a flaring neck 21, that is a neck in the shape of a frustum of a cone. The socket 18 vis provided with beveled lu s 22 and 23 the bevels of which are paralle Then the plug 2() is unscrewed from the screw neck 19 so as to permit of filling the tank, the upper heavier end of the bar 14 is released and causes said bar to swing into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, whereby by the action of the rear edge of the curved bar 14 on the weight 13, said weight is lifted and the pawl 11 is disengaged from the ratchet bar 10 thus permitting the float to rise as the level of the liquid rises in the tank, as the supply of liquid fuel is filled in.

When the tank is full the plug 2O is screwed into the neck 19 and its beveled neck 21 acting on the beveled edge of one of the lugs of the socket 1S swings said bar 14 to the right and into the position shown in full lines, thus `permitting; the weight 13 to drop and to bring the pawl 11 into engagement with the As the level of the liquid gradually decreases in the tank as the liquid fuel is consumed, the float descends, which descent is not interfered with by the pawl 11 as the. latter slides down over the teeth of the ratchet bar. The jolting of the vehicle and consequent disturbing of the level of the liquid cannot cause the float to rise as the pawl 11 prevents this and any upward movement of the float is checked by the engagement of the pawl with the teeth of the ratchet bar. T he indications on the scale or indicator 6 are thus at all times true and reliable. 1 lf provisionfwci'e not mad e for preventing the and and means whereby the temporary suspendmg) means can be thrown out of operation, su stantially as set forth.

3. 'lhe combination with a liquid fuel tank, a float, an indicator and means for operating it by the float, of means for temporarily suspending the upward movement of the float, andmeans for throwing the temporary suspending means out of operation, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a liquid fuel tank havin a filling opening, a float in the same, an in icator and means for operating it by the float, of means for temporarily preventing upward movement of the float, means for opening and closing the opening of the tank and means for throwing said temporary preventing means 'into and out of operative position by closing and opening the supply inlet of the tank, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination wit-h a liquid fuel tank having a filling opening, a float in the same, an indicator and means for operating it by the float, of'means for temporarily preventing upward movement of the fioat, a plug for .closing the filling opening ofthe tank, and means for throwing the float checking means into and out of operative posit-ion by operating said plug, substantially asset forth.

6 :The combination with a liquid fuel tank, a float in the same, an indicator and means for ope'rating it by the float, of aratchet bar in the tank, a pawl normally engaging said ratchet bar and connected with the fioat, and means for throwing said pawl into and out of engaging position with the ratchet-bar, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a liquid fuel tank having a filling opening, a float in the same, an in icator and means for operating it by the fioat, of a ratchet bar in the tank, a pawl normally engaging said ratchet bar and connected with the float, a plug for closing the filling opening of the tank, means controlled by the plug for t-he filling opening of the tank,

for throwing said pawl into and out of engaging position with thc ratchet bar, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with a liquid fuel tank, a float in the same, an indicator and means for operating the same by the float, of a ratchet bar in the tank, a pawl on the float l normally engaging the ratchet bar, a movable bar adjacent tothe ratchet bar and eaacve adapted to throw the pawl into and out of engaging position with the ratchet bar, substantially as set forth. I

9. The combination with a liquid fuel tank, a lioat in the same, an indicator and means for operating it by the iioat, of a ratchet bar in. the tank, a pawl on the float normally engaging the ratchet bar, a pivoted bar adjacent to the ratchet bar and adapted to throw the pawl into and out of engaging position with the ratchet bar, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with a liquid fuel tank having a filling opening, a float in the same, an indicator and mea-ns for operating it by the float, of a ratchet bar in the tank, a pawl on the float normally engaging the ratchet bar, a movable bar adjacent to the ratchet bar and adaptedto throw the pawl into and out of engaging position with the ratchet bar, a plug for closing the filling opening of the tank and means on said plug for controlling the movement -of said movable bar toward and from the. rack bar, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination with a liquid fuel tank having a filling opening, a float inthe same, an indicator, and means for operating it by the float, a ratchet bar in the tank, av

pawl on the float normally engaging the ratchet bar, a pivoted bar adjacent to the ratchet bar and adapted to 'throw the pawl into and out of engaging position with the Htl ratchet bar, means for opening and closing the tank filling opening and for controlling the movement of said bar adjacent to the ratchet bar operable by operating the filling' opening and closing means of the tank, substantially as set forth.

.12. The combination with a liquid fuel tank having a filling opening, a iioat in the same, an indicator, and means for operating it by the float, of a ratchet bar in said tank, a

pawl on the float normally engaging said ratchet bar, a movable bar adjacent to the ratchet bar and adapted to act on the pawl,

to bring the same into and'out of operat-ive position with the ratchet bar said movable ar being' provided at its u )per end with a bevel socket, and a filling p ug havingv beveled projections fitting said socket, substantially as set forth. i

13'. 'lhe combination with a liquid fuel tank having a filling opening, a float in the same, an indicator, and means for operating it by the ioat, a ratchet bar in the tank, a pawl pivoted on the float normally engaging the ratchet bar, a movable bar adjacent to the ratchet bar, a rojection on the pawl engaging one edge of the movable bar, means for controlling the filling opening of the tank, andfor controlling the movement .of said movable bar operable by operating said opening controllmg means for the purpose of bringing the pawl into and out of engaging position wwiththe ratchet bar, substantially as set forth.

14.v The combination with a liquidv fuel tank having a filling opening, a float in the same, an indicator and means for operating' ting saidsocket, substantially as set forth.

15. The combination With a liquid fuel tank having a filling opening, a rock shaft in the same, an armA on said shaft and a Boat on .f said arm, of a ratchet bar curved on a radius, the center vof which is the aXis of the rock shaft, a pawl on the float normally engaging said ratchet bar, means for opening and closing the lling opening of the tank, and means for disen aging said pawl from the ratchet i operable y opening the filling opening of the tank and for engaging said pawl with the-l ratchet bar by closing 'the lling opening in j the tank and an indicator, which isoperated from the float, arm and rock shaft substan- 1 tially 'as set forth.

16. The combination with a liquid fuel f tank having al filling opening, of a rock shaft l in the same, an arm on said rock shaft, a oat on said arm, aratchet bar held in the i tank and curved on a radius, the center of 1 oted on the float, a pivoted bar adjacent to l the curved rack bar, and curved on the saine j radius, means for opening and closing the filling opening of the tank, and for swinging said bar toward and from the rack bar operable which isl the axis ofthe rock shaft, a pawl pivby the act of operating the closing and opening means for the opening of the tank, an i11- dicator and which is operated from the float, arm and rock shaft substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York city in the county of `New York and State of New York this 31st day of October A. D. 1909.

SARAH H. PECKHAM. Witnesses:

THEoDonB. RICHTER, IDA BURSTINGER. 

